Object Properties Reference

Features marked with EE badge require Enterprise Edition.

This page is a reference for object properties, custom attributes, and access rights in NetXMS.

For an overview of the object tree, classes, and status model, see Object Model. For tasks like creating, finding, and managing objects, see Managing Objects.

Common Properties

Every object has these common properties:

Property Description

Name

Display name of the object. For nodes, this is initially set from DNS or SNMP sysName during discovery.

Object ID

Unique numeric identifier assigned by the server. Immutable once created.

GUID

Globally unique identifier. Used for cross-server references and template export/import.

Status

Current operational status (Normal, Warning, Minor, Major, Critical, Unknown, Unmanaged, Disabled, Testing).

Comments

Free-form text field for administrative notes. Supports markdown formatting via the Use markdown checkbox.

Custom Attributes

Key-value pairs for storing arbitrary metadata. Used by NXSL scripts, auto-bind rules, and reporting.

Responsible Users

Users or groups designated as responsible for this object. Used in alarm notifications and escalation.

Category

Optional classification label used for filtering and visualization.

Geolocation

GPS coordinates for placing the object on a geographical map.

Dashboards and Maps

List of dashboards and network maps exposed as additional views when this object is selected.

Node Property Pages

Node objects have the following property pages in the properties dialog.

Communication

Primary communication settings for the node.

Property Description

Primary host name

DNS name or IP address used for communication with the node.

Node without IP address

Mark node as having no IP address of its own.

Communication through external gateway

Flag indicating that the node is reachable only through an external gateway.

Use ICMP ping on primary IP address to determine node status

When enabled, ICMP ping of the primary IP address is included in status polling for this node.

The node’s zone is not changed here — use the Change zone…​ object context menu action.

The Communication page has sub-pages for protocol-specific settings:

Agent

Property Description

Agent Port

TCP port for NetXMS agent communication (default: 4700).

Agent Shared Secret

Pre-shared key for agent authentication.

Agent Proxy

Node to use as proxy for agent communication.

Agent Compression

Enable data compression for agent communication.

Certificate Mapping

Certificate mapping method and data for certificate-based agent authentication.

SNMP

Property Description

SNMP Version

SNMP protocol version (v1, v2c, v3) used for this node.

SNMP Community / Credentials

SNMP authentication credentials. For SNMPv3, includes authentication and privacy protocols and keys.

SNMP Proxy

Node to use as proxy for SNMP requests to this node.

SNMP Port

UDP port for SNMP communication (default: 161).

SSH

Property Description

SSH Port

TCP port for SSH connections (default: 22).

SSH Login / Password

Credentials for SSH-based monitoring.

SSH Key

SSH key for key-based authentication.

ICMP

ICMP polling parameters for this node, including additional target addresses for multi-path monitoring.

NETCONF

NETCONF communication settings: port (default: 830) and proxy node.

VNC

VNC remote control settings (port, password, proxy node).

Syslog

Syslog message codepage configuration for this node.

EtherNet/IP, Modbus, MQTT

Protocol-specific communication settings for industrial and IoT monitoring.

Web Services

Proxy node used for web service requests to this node.

Polling

Polling behavior settings for the node:

  • Poller node — node used to perform network service polls for this node (unless overridden by individual network service settings)

  • Required poll count for status change — consecutive polls with the same result required before the object status changes (0 = use server default)

  • Options to disable usage of specific protocols and poll types, such as NetXMS agent, SNMP, ICMP, SSH, VNC detection, EtherNet/IP, Modbus, status polling, configuration polling, routing table polling, topology polling, network discovery polling, and data collection

  • Use ifXTable for interface polling — Default, Enable, or Disable

  • Agent cache mode — Default, On, or Off

Per-object polling intervals are not configured on this page — use SysConfig: prefixed custom attributes.

Expected Capabilities

Capabilities the node is expected to have: NetXMS agent, SNMP, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, and SSH. Marking a capability as expected prevents the server from dropping it after repeated communication failures.

Port Stop List

TCP and UDP ports excluded from probing during active network discovery. The list is inherited from parent Container, Collector, Cluster, and Subnet objects and from the zone; defining a local list stops inheritance. This page is also available on zone, container, and subnet objects.

Zone Property Pages

Communications

Default proxy node assignments for the zone (agent proxy, SNMP proxy, ICMP proxy).

Credentials

Sub-pages for zone-wide default credentials:

  • Agent Credentials — default shared secrets for agents in this zone

  • SNMP Credentials — default SNMP community strings and SNMPv3 credentials for this zone

  • SSH Credentials — default SSH login/password for nodes in this zone

Template Property Pages

Automatic Apply Rules

NXSL filter scripts that control automatic template application and removal. When enabled, templates are automatically applied to matching objects during automatic binding polls. See Automatic Bind.

Cluster Property Pages

Cluster Resources

Virtual IP addresses and associated resources tracked by the cluster. Used for resource migration monitoring between cluster member nodes.

Cluster Networks

Interconnect networks used for intra-cluster communication.

Automatic Bind Rules

NXSL filter scripts for automatic binding of nodes to the cluster.

Condition Property Pages

Data

Select DCIs whose values are passed to the condition script as $1, $2, etc.

Events and Status

Configure activation and deactivation events, the event source object, and the status values for active and inactive states.

Script

NXSL script that determines whether the condition is active or inactive.

Dashboard Property Pages

Dashboard Elements

Layout and configuration of dashboard widgets (charts, tables, maps, status indicators, etc.). See Dashboard Elements Reference.

Object Context

Configure which object context is passed to dashboard elements for context-sensitive dashboards.

Dashboard Template Property Pages

Dashboard templates share the Dashboard Elements page with dashboards and additionally have:

Template

Name template (with macro support) for dashboards created from this template.

Automatic Bind Rules

NXSL filter script that controls which objects this dashboard template applies to.

Network Map Property Pages

Seed Nodes

Starting nodes for automatic topology map generation.

Map Appearance

Generic appearance page (present on most object classes): name shown on network maps, presentation image, and drill-down object.

Map Options

Object display options (display mode, status indication), default link options (routing algorithm, color, line style), and other map display options. The layout algorithm is chosen from the map view toolbar, not from a property page.

Map Background

Background image, geographic map, or color for the map.

Object Filter

NXSL script to filter which objects appear on the map.

NXSL script for custom link appearance based on link properties.

Object Context

Configure object context for context-sensitive map display.

Business Service Property Pages

Object Auto Bind

NXSL filter script controlling automatic creation of object-based checks.

DCI Auto Bind

NXSL filter script controlling automatic creation of DCI-based checks.

Business service prototypes additionally have an Instance Discovery page.

Rack Property Pages

Rack

Rack Height (in rack units), unit Numbering scheme (Bottom to top or Top to bottom), and the Front side only option.

Passive Elements

Patch panels, filler panels, organisers, and PDUs — non-monitored elements that occupy rack units.

Sensor Property Pages

Sensor

Sensor-specific properties: device class, gateway node, MAC address, Modbus unit ID, device address, vendor, model, and serial number.

Custom Attributes

Custom attributes are key-value pairs stored on any object. They provide a flexible extension mechanism for:

  • Storing site-specific metadata (location, contact, SLA tier)

  • Controlling behavior via NXSL scripts and auto-bind rules

  • Passing information to notification templates and actions

  • Overriding server configuration per object (using SysConfig: prefix)

Setting Custom Attributes

Custom attributes can be set:

  • Manually via the object properties dialog (Custom Attributes tab)

  • Programmatically via NXSL: $node.setCustomAttribute("key", "value")

  • Through the REST API

Inheritable Attributes

Inheritance is controlled per attribute by the Inheritable flag (a checkbox in the attribute edit dialog), not by naming convention. When an inheritable attribute is set or changed on a parent object, the value is automatically propagated (pushed) to all child objects in the tree.

An inherited attribute on a child object shows its source object in the Origin column. If a child object redefines an inherited attribute locally, the local value takes precedence and the attribute is marked as redefined. If the same inheritable attribute arrives from more than one distinct parent object, it is marked as a conflict — even when the values are identical.

Hidden Attributes

Custom attributes with names starting with a dot (.) are hidden from the management client by default. They can be viewed and updated if Show hidden custom attributes is enabled in the management client preferences.

The dot prefix only affects UI visibility — it has no effect on inheritance or any other server-side behavior.

Script-Only Attributes

Custom attributes with names starting with $ can only be set from NXSL scripts on the server side. The management client cannot create or modify $-prefixed attributes.

Use $-prefixed attributes when you need to:

  • Store information about a node that should not be visible or modifiable by users

  • Improve performance, since changes to $-prefixed attributes are not propagated to connected management clients

Example: store a computed value for use in scripts
$node.setCustomAttribute("$lastHealthCheck", time());

SSH Attributes

SSH connection parameters can be configured per node using the following custom attributes:

Attribute Description

ssh.login

SSH login name for this node.

ssh.password

SSH password for this node.

ssh.port

SSH port for this node.

These are used by SSH-based data collection and SSH monitoring features.

Agent Environment Variable Injection

Custom attributes with the AgentEnv: prefix inject environment variables into the NetXMS agent running on the node.

Setting AgentEnv:MY_VAR to some_value on a node pushes the environment variable MY_VAR=some_value to the node’s agent. Variables are synchronized on every agent connection and whenever the attribute value changes. Removing the custom attribute removes the corresponding environment variable from the agent; however, deleting the last remaining AgentEnv: attribute is not pushed to the agent until another change triggers synchronization.

The agent’s AcceptedEnvironmentVariables configuration parameter controls which variable names are accepted. By default only NX_* and NETXMS_* patterns are accepted. Only works when the server has master or control access to the agent.

SNMP Behavior Attributes

The following custom attributes alter SNMP-related behavior on node objects:

Attribute Description

snmp.testoid

Custom OID used for testing SNMP availability during status and configuration polls. Default OID is .1.3.6.1.2.1.1.2.0 (sysObjectID). Useful for devices that do not support standard System or Interfaces MIBs.

snmp.driver

Force a specific SNMP device driver instead of relying on automatic detection. Set the value to the driver name. See SNMP Configuration for driver names.

snmp.ignore.ipAddressTable

When set to true, the newer ipAddressTable (.1.3.6.1.2.1.4.34.1.3) is not read during interface discovery.

snmp.ignore.ipAddrTable

When set to true, the legacy ipAddrTable (.1.3.6.1.2.1.4.20.1.1) is not read during interface discovery.

Server Configuration Overrides (SysConfig:)

Attributes with the SysConfig: prefix override global server configuration variables for a specific object. The value in the custom attribute takes precedence over the global setting for that object and its children.

Custom Attribute Overrides

SysConfig:Objects.StatusPollingInterval

Status polling interval for the object.

SysConfig:Objects.ConfigurationPollingInterval

Configuration polling interval for the object.

SysConfig:Objects.AutobindPollingInterval

Automatic binding poll interval.

SysConfig:Objects.NetworkMaps.UpdateInterval

Network map update interval.

SysConfig:DataCollection.InstancePollingInterval

Instance discovery polling interval.

SysConfig:NetworkDiscovery.PassiveDiscovery.Interval

Passive network discovery interval.

SysConfig:Topology.PollingInterval

Topology polling interval.

SysConfig:Topology.RoutingTable.UpdateInterval

Routing table update interval.

SysConfig:Topology.RoutingTable.MaxSize

Maximum routing table entries to read (default: 4000).

SysConfig:ICMP.PollingInterval

ICMP polling interval.

SysConfig:Agent.UploadBandwidthLimit

Per-node file upload bandwidth limit to the agent (kilobytes per second).

SysConfig:DataCollection.Scheduler.RequireConnectivity

When true, scheduled DCI collection requires node reachability.

SysConfig:SNMP.MinVersion

Minimum SNMP version to use when communicating with the node.

SysConfig:SNMP.Traps.ValidateCredentials

Validation of credentials in SNMP traps received from the node.

SysConfig:Topology.EnableSTPDiscovery

Spanning Tree (STP) topology discovery for the node.

SysConfig:DeviceConfigBackup.Interval EE

Device configuration backup interval for the node.

Access Rights

Object access rights control which operations users can perform on individual objects. Permissions granted on a parent object are inherited by all child objects, unless inheritance is disabled by turning off Inherit access rights from parent object(s) in the object’s access control properties.

Parent objects' ACLs are consulted only when the object’s own ACL has no entry matching the user — a direct entry fully replaces inherited rights rather than adding to them. Within a single ACL, rights from the user’s group entries are combined (OR-ed), but an explicit entry for the user account itself takes precedence over group entries. If an object has multiple parents, rights inherited from them are combined (OR-ed).

To modify access rights: right-click the object, select Properties, and navigate to the Access Control tab.

Permission Reference

Permission Description

Read

View the object in the tree and read its information. For node objects, read access allows viewing collected DCI data.

Read agent data

Read data collected via NetXMS agent from this node.

Read SNMP data

Read data collected via SNMP from this node.

Read credentials

View sensitive credentials (passwords, shared secrets, SNMP credentials) configured on this object.

Modify

Modify the object’s properties (except access control).

Create child objects

Create child objects under this object or bind existing objects to it.

Delete

Delete this object.

Control

Execute object tools of type Remote Command on this node. Also required for some interactive operations.

Send events

Send events on behalf of this object via the API.

View alarms

View alarms that have this object as their source.

Update alarms

Add comments to alarms and acknowledge alarms with this object as source.

Terminate alarms

Terminate alarms with this object as source.

Create helpdesk tickets

Create tickets in the external helpdesk system for alarms on this object.

Push data

Push data values for DCIs configured on this object.

Query web service

Execute web service requests through this object.

Access control

Modify the access control list for this object. A user with this right can grant any access rights, including to their own account.

Download files

Download files from this node (from paths allowed by the filemngr subagent configuration). Also required for file download operations from object tools.

Upload files

Upload files to this node (to paths allowed by the filemngr subagent configuration).

Manage files

Move, rename, and delete files on this node (in paths allowed by the filemngr subagent configuration).

Read device configuration

View device configuration backups collected from this node.

Upload device configuration

Upload configuration to the device.

Control maintenance mode

Enter and exit maintenance mode for this object.

Take screenshot

Take a screenshot of this node’s screen (Windows nodes only).

Edit maintenance journal

Add and modify entries in the maintenance journal for this object.

Configure agent

Modify agent configuration on this node.

Edit comments

Edit the comments field on this object.

Manage responsible users

Modify the responsible users list on this object.

Delegated read

View this object’s information and DCI data when the object is displayed on a network map or dashboard that the user has read access to. This enables creating dashboards and maps for users who should see visualizations but not have direct object tree access.

Manage policies

Manage agent policies on this object (templates).

Manage incidents

Manage incidents associated with this object.